 | |
| Author | Christopher Schemering |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Soap operas |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
Publication date | September 1985 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 358 |
| ISBN | 0-345-32459-5 |
The Soap Opera Encyclopedia is a 1985 reference book by Christopher Schemering which assembles comprehensive information about all daytime and prime time soap operas broadcast up to the date of publication. It was revised and reprinted in 1987 and 1988, but is currently out of print.
Daytime is a block of television programming taking place during the late-morning and afternoon on weekdays. Daytime programming is typically scheduled to air between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., following the early morning daypart typically dedicated to morning shows, and preceding the evening dayparts that eventually lead into prime time.
The prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television programming. It is used by the major television networks to broadcast their season's nightly programming.
A soap opera is a radio or television serial dealing especially with domestic situations and frequently characterized by melodrama and sentimentality. The term soap opera originated from radio dramas being sponsored by soap manufacturers.
The Soap Opera Encyclopedia features commentary, analysis and criticism of "every daytime and prime-time television soap opera broadcast on the three major networks, as well as a selection of syndicated, cable, and foreign efforts." [1] It also discusses background, significant storylines and impact of each program, and lists performers and characters. Schemering also includes a "Short History of Television Soap Opera," as well as profiles of major performers, writers and producers in the genre in a section entitled "Who's Who in Soap Opera." Finally, the book contains 30 pages of photos from various programs.
Published in a time before the internet, the Encyclopedia was a primary source of background information and commentary on soap opera; it and Schemering have been quoted in various articles, books and web pages. It was revised and reprinted in 1987 ( ISBN 0-345-35344-7) and 1988.
The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic mail, telephony, and file sharing.
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
According to the Encyclopedia, Schemering "spent fifteen years collecting memorabilia and information about the soap opera phenomenon" and wrote a syndicated column on the genre. [2] He was also a regular contributor to The Washington Post Book World and had published film and television articles in The New Republic , USA Today , the Chicago Tribune , the San Francisco Chronicle , the New York Daily News and other publications. [2] Schemering is also the author of Guiding Light: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (1986).
The Washington Post is a major American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It has the largest circulation in the Washington metropolitan area. Daily broadsheet editions are printed for the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.
The New Republic is an American magazine of commentary on politics and the arts, published since 1914, with influence on American political and cultural thinking. Founded in 1914 by leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between a humanitarian progressivism and an intellectual scientism, and ultimately discarded the latter. Through the 1980s and '90s, the magazine incorporated elements of the "Third Way" and conservatism.
USA Today is an internationally distributed American daily, middle-market newspaper that serves as the flagship publication of its owner, the Gannett Company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, it operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters on Jones Branch Drive, in McLean, Virginia. It is printed at 37 sites across the United States and at five additional sites internationally. Its dynamic design influenced the style of local, regional, and national newspapers worldwide, through its use of concise reports, colorized images, informational graphics, and inclusion of popular culture stories, among other distinct features.
